Boston might ban trans fats too

by Bob Sassone, Posted Dec 20th 2006 @ 12:59PM

trans fats shirt New York City has already done it, and other cities are thinking about them too. Now Boston is the latest city to consider banning the dreaded trans fats.

It's nothing that's going to happen overnight, since they are just beginning to think about it after meeting with New York City health officials about the issue. They could make a decision as soon as this February, but even if they do that the ban would not go into effect until 2008.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I have no doubt whatsoever that trans fats are bad for you, but I wonder if this is the first step (or is it second, after the banning of foie gras?) in the food police taking over. If it doesn't affect the taste and/or texture of food served in restaurants then I'd probably be for it, though I wonder how you police something like ingredients in a city with so many restaurants. Is it just a matter of checking the kitchen and seeing if there are products they use in food that have trans fats in them, or are there other ways to introduce trans fats into meals that isn't so obvious?

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